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Skyfire For Android Enables (Some) Flash Video

Posted by timothy on from the not-your-grandma's-headline dept.

harrymcc writes "Skyfire, a browser formerly available only for Windows Mobile and Symbian, is releasing a beta for Android. The most notable feature: It can identify Flash video on Web pages and convert it to HTML5 and H.264 on the fly, so it'll play on Android phones. It doesn't support all video, and may be rendered somewhat superfluous when Adobe ships Flash Player 10.1 for Android — but it's an impressive trick."

3 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. And this, folks, is why Apple will win. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    While Android users shuffle between a half a dozen substandard browsers desperately trying to find one that works, Apple will have an entire ecosystem of applications and services that JUST WORK. Once again we witness how control over the ecosystem results in a superior experience for everyone.

    Think Different.
    Think Better.
    Think APPLE!

  2. Re:Is it a security nightmare like opera? by exasperation · · Score: -1, Troll

    What ads? I haven't seen an ad on the Internet since the last century... do people still surf without Adblock or something?

  3. hi by lydiacanaan · · Score: -1, Troll

    Like Opera Mini, earlier versions of Skyfire for Windows Mobile and Symbian were proxy browsers that compressed Web pages on the server side before transferring them to the phone. With this Android edition, the Skyfire folks are shifting strategy. Android’s Webkit-based rendering engine is already capable of displaying Web pages swiftly and accurately, they figure, so they’re not trying to duplicate it. Skyfire for Android uses the same Webkit rendering that Android’s default browser does–but rolls it into a browser with a bunch more features. Hotel Elaphusa Bol